Blackhawks Interim head coach Anders Sorensen talks to players during a game this season.
AP
Since Joel Quenneville was fired on Nov. 6, 2018, we’ve watched Jeremy Colliton, Derek King, Luke Richardson and Anders Sorensen take turns at guiding the Blackhawks.
The results have been downright atrocious.
Of course, considering the dearth of talent it’s debatable how much blame each man deserves.
Over the past two years, the most disappointing thing has been the lack of growth shown by some of the young players — and that’s why GM Kyle Davidson must absolutely nail his next coaching hire.
Because while this rebuild has been excruciatingly slow, the timeline can shrink if Davidson executes a clear, definable blueprint.
And it starts with the coaches.
“Stability is so important,” captain Nick Foligno told me after practice Saturday. “You need stability at the top.”
Without it, young players tend to drift. They also aren’t sure of their roles, often retarding growth.
Forward Lukas Reichel is a good example: Here we have the 17th overall pick of the 2020 draft with a mere 12 goals in 130 games over the past two seasons.
But what about someone like Philipp Kurashev, who scored 18 goals in 2023-24 but can barely get out of the doghouse this season? Richardson moved Kurashev to the opposite wing, creating a domino effect that saw Kurashev all over the lineup. The result was a disastrous start in which Kurashev managed just 5 points and ranked dead last in the NHL with a minus-21 rating through Dec. 2.
After that, his average ice time plummeted from 16 minutes to 12. Now, he’s only occasionally the lineup.
“It’s harder when you’re in a different spot every game and you don’t really have a set role,” Kurashev said. “Some games you’re on the PK (penalty kill), some games you’re not. It’s been a lot this year. So that makes it hard because you’ve got to adjust every game and you don’t really know when your minutes are coming.”
Kurashev went on to place the onus on himself, however. It’s a smart move, knowing it’s never good to moan to a reporter.
It’s a tough situation and not an easy one to analyze. Confidence to start a season is of paramount importance. Kurashev never had any. Flexibility is necessary too, however. The good pros can adjust on the fly.
“If we are going to move forward as a group there are going to be some role changes,” Foligno said. “You want that. You want to see young guys elevate their games.
“Everyone to a man has to take it on — this is my role, I’m going to do it as best as I can. It doesn’t matter if that’s the role you want. That’s the role the team needs you to play.
“Good teams have buy in from every single guy. That’s the kind of identity and culture we need to start getting in here.”
This much I do know: Davidson and right-hand man Brian Campbell better hope Kurashev doesn’t become a consistent 15-goal scorer on another team. The Hawks have let enough solid players go (see Gustav Forsling, Jan Rutta) to screw that up again.
Reichel and Kurashev are just two examples of players not taking that next step. Want others?
OK, Connor Bedard is at best treading water in Year 2; some say he’s regressed and become more undisciplined. The young defense corps has been lost for large swaths of recent games. You wonder how much it’s hurting each guy’s confidence.
Finally, free-agent additions Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie came in and failed to move the needle.
Enough’s enough.
It’s time to follow the Bears’ lead with their hiring of Ben Johnson. His staff isn’t about to coddle QB Caleb Williams the way the previous regime did. And guess what? Williams welcomes that kind of coaching.
Davidson needs to do the same here — bring in a top-notch, respected staff that will give hard truths to everyone — including Bedard — while also coaching them up and watching their stars shine.
For my money, I’d seriously consider Peter Laviolette if the Rangers fire him after the season. The 60-year-old has coached 1,500-plus games, been to the postseason 14 times, won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and lost one to the Hawks in Philly in 2010. He’s well respected, runs a disciplined defensive system and will no doubt bring in a staff that can get the most out of this up-and-coming group.
It’s a great place to start. And if not, look for someone with similar traits.
That’s the path forward. We’ll soon see if Davidson agrees.
• John Dietz worked at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covering the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.
